I was very confused a couple years ago (I believe it was in 2011) when Anthony Weiner stepped down from his position in government because it was revealed that he likes to talk dirty and send pictures of his wiener to women on twitter.

(Scandalous!)

I couldn’t see how any of this was relevant to politics and I’m still not entirely certain. There are 535 people in congress that are doing actual relevant bad things on a weekly (if not daily) basis. If it were a matter of honesty or integrity all of these people would be out of a job (so I feel that argument is bunk). The place is so nasty and full of debauchery that apparently a few states are having trouble finding candidates to put on ballots this coming election.

I understand that he’s married and that he should have probably asked his wife or something. “Sweetie can I send pictures of my peeper to some ladies on twitter?” But I’m fairly sure what he was doing doesn’t fall under adultery either. But don’t take my word on it as this isn’t something I’ve researched. Generally speaking I’m not big about flashing the pan but for those folks that like putting their stuff out on the interwebz I’m not sure I see the harm.

What relevance does it have to a political position? Was he found doing anything questionable otherwise? Are we really so caught up in sex and sexual kinks that this becomes news? I’m not just saying this because he’s a man either, if it were a woman who was in congress (or any government position) and they were found to have been filmed naked I wouldn’t care.

(Always keep it under wraps)

What I care about is policy. What is their view on taxation? Wars, poverty, or corruption? Actual relevant things that matter. This seems to me like projection. A bunch of folks are embarrassed by their own vices and lash out at people who get caught. Maybe he has a dark underbelly? Maybe there is something about him I don’t know. If these things are the case then these things are what should be getting discussed.

I’m speaking specifically from what I know and with that in mind I feel like literally nobody was hurt by what he did. It was barely a notch above writing 50 shades of grey. Which I suppose could be a punishable offense but I’m trying to keep an open mind.

All I’m really saying is that we should be concerned with things that actually matter. Colbert made the point more cleverly by pointing it out that in this same period Bob McDonnell [who I had to Google just to remember the name of] was caught accepting over a hundred thousand dollars in illicit loans and other bribes. Was everyone posting his face up on the internet or the news? No, they were posting pictures of Wiener’s wiener.